


As Iron Sharpens Iron

by Cinaed



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: Bending (Avatar), Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/M, First Kiss, Het, Police, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-19
Updated: 2015-01-19
Packaged: 2018-03-08 04:40:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3195650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cinaed/pseuds/Cinaed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Jia Wei gets captured by a triad, it's up to Chief Bei Fong to come to his rescue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	As Iron Sharpens Iron

**Author's Note:**

  * For [simplyirenic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplyirenic/gifts).



> Written for ireny because she requested "Lin/Javert, interesting ways of utilizing bending" and drew awesome Lin and Javert fanart, found [here](http://irenydraws.tumblr.com/post/83151148334/yeah-the-blame-for-this-is-100-cinaeds-8d). She also came up with Javert and Valjean's Avatar names.
> 
> The title comes from a quotation by Solomon.

Jia Wei suppressed a satisfied smile when one of Gyeon's underlings handcuffed him to the metal grating at the far corner of the room.

They had no idea who he was. They must believe that he was just a patrolling cop who'd stumbled upon one of their hideouts, not the newest member of Bei Fong's metalbending force. He studied the room, noting the number of triad members and the heavy iron door that they thought would protect them. Then he leaned against the metal and closed his eyes, trying to concentrate. He needed to manipulate the handcuffs without drawing attention to himself. 

It proved a little hard to focus. The side of his face stung, a welt left where the firebender's flame had touched his skin, and his knee ached where Gyeon had knocked him off his feet with a well-aimed kick.

The chief wouldn't be happy that he'd gotten himself caught by the triad. But who would have thought that Gyeon, an earthbender, had recruited a  _firebender_  into her triad? Before now, most of the smaller triads tended to recruit only the same type of bender. There certainly hadn't been any word on the street about a firebender joining Gyeon.  

It was a worrying development, and one that Bei Fong wouldn't like. It'd probably make her even more annoyed than when she learned of Jia Wei's carelessness on his first official field assignment. Trying not to think about the chief's disappointment, he felt for a weakness in the metal. He found one. A moment later, the right cuff unlocked with a quiet click. He went to unlock the left and then paused at the sudden quiet. 

Heat, warm enough to hurt though not to burn a second time, pressed against his face. When Jia Wei opened his eyes, he squinted against the brightness of the fireball cupped in the firebender's hand. 

"I say we kill him and be done with it," the man said, grinning a sharp, eager smile. The flames reflected in his eyes. "One less cop on the streets can't be a bad thing."

Gyeon sighed. When she spoke, her voice held an edge of annoyance. "And if you burn him alive, Bei Fong will figure out how he died and start looking at the triads. You think she won't avenge one of her men? None of the other triads will like us bringing Toph Bei Fong's daughter down on their heads. You want to make  _all_  of them our enemy? Think before you open your mouth." She paused, staring at Jia Wei. "We need to make his death look like an accident." 

Jia Wei laughed. He couldn't help it, though the firebender's flame swelled and glowed a dangerous blue. Still, Gyeon's underestimation of Chief Bei Fong was ludicrous. "As though the chief would fall for that," he said. Now he let himself smile, a humorless baring of teeth. "But if you turn yourselves in now, she might be lenient." 

Gyeon's eyes narrowed. A few rocks trembled at her feet and then stilled as she reined in her temper. She tilted her head and eyed him. "Who knew cops could be funny?" she said, though the glint in her eyes suggested that she didn't find him amusing at all. "You--" The rocks trembled again at her feet, and she frowned, looking down in surprise. "What--" 

The iron door peeled down the middle like it was made of butter and curled outwards, crumpling helplessly against an invisible force. 

The firebender's fireball sputtered and went out. "Shit," he said, staring at the destruction, and Jia Wei's smile broadened. 

The chief stepped through the door, white-lipped. A second later her whips flashed through the air. Two of the triad members fell to the ground, wrapped so thoroughly in metal that only their mouths and noses were visible.

"Bei Fong!" Gyeon swore and slammed her foot hastily on the ground, sending a wave of stone towards the chief. 

Bei Fong batted it away with a flick of her wrist and a flex of her legs, using the rock to pin a third man against the wall and forming a stone box with a few air holes so the man wouldn't suffocate. Now just Gyeon and the firebender stood between her and Jia Wei. 

"Kang-Dae Gyeon," the chief said. Gyeon paled at the way her name sounded liked a threat. "I believe you have something that belongs to me."  

The firebender muttered something under his breath, the air above his hand beginning to glow blue.

Anger bloomed in Jia Wei's chest. He didn't think, just grabbed the grating behind him and pulled. The grating twisted around both the firebender and Gyeon, pinning their arms to their sides.

A second later the chief had both criminals in the same stone boxes as the other triad. Faint cursing could be heard through the small holes.

Bei Fong lowered her hands slowly. "My orders were to observe, not engage," she remarked, her voice even. She turned, very precisely on her heel, and he realized that she was furious. 

Shame pricked at him. "Sorry, chief. I wasn't expecting a firebender and I--" He stopped and bowed his head, closing his eyes against the chief's frown. "No. I shouldn't give excuses. I didn't even think to use my bending. I failed."

Bei Fong said nothing. His stomach sank. Six months of the chief training him herself and he had failed her on his very first assignment. He licked his lips, but before he could apologize again, a cool palm cupped his jaw.

He opened his eyes, startled at the unexpected touch. Bei Fong's mouth was a thin, unsmiling line, her expression unreadable, but her gaze was fixed upon the burn the firebender had left on his cheek. "Obviously I didn't train you well enough," she said.

Something like horror seized Jia Wei. To have the chief consider this  _her_  failure-- "No!" he said, louder than he'd meant, and flushed at Bei Fong's raised eyebrow. "No, chief, I just-- it was my fault. I spent all those years repressing my bending and I just-- I forgot I didn't have to hide it anymore."

"You didn't have to hide it before," Bei Fong muttered, but it was an old argument, and she didn't pursue it, only frowned at him.

Jia Wei suspected that the chief would never understand how he still felt unentitled to his bending. His parents had used theirs for crime, and so he'd hidden his bending for years and sat behind a desk doing paperwork instead. His ability had gone unused but at least it hadn't been misused either. He swallowed. "I'm sorry--"

"Be quiet," she said, a command.

He closed his mouth, realizing belatedly that her hand was still on his cheek. There was a sudden click and the feel of cold metal upon his right wrist. He blinked and looked down. He was handcuffed again. "Chief?"

"Perhaps," the chief said, her voice very low, her breath warm against his jaw, "we should try some training with distractions."

 _Distractions_? The word caught in Jia Wei's throat as Bei Fong's free hand flattened against his chest. His back hit the wall, though he wasn't certain if she'd pushed him or he'd stepped back.

She tipped her face up towards his. Not much, just the slightest lift of her chin. The chief was a tall woman and they were almost the same height. She ordered, still in that low voice, "Take the handcuffs off."

Then she kissed him.

Jia Wei's thoughts fled. Everything he might have considered-- that she was the  _chief_ , that they were currently surrounded by five imprisoned criminals, that the rest of their fellow cops were probably just outside the warehouse waiting for Bei Fong's all-clear-- was swept away by the stunning sensation of her mouth against his.

He groaned helplessly into the kiss. Another involuntary groan escaped him when she pulled away.

"Your handcuffs," she reminded him, and almost smiled when he stared blankly. There was dust in her hair, and the scars on her face shifted as one corner of her mouth creased in amusement.

Jia Wei started to reach for her, remembering the handcuffs again only when the metal dug into his wrists. He snapped the handcuffs into pieces, not caring where they fell.

He touched Bei Fong's hair, vaguely aware that his hand was shaking as he brushed away the dust. He paused, marveling at the slight flush upon her face. He still couldn't think clearly. She'd  _kissed_ him. Chief Lin Bei Fong, a woman who had earned her place through merit and strength and definitely not because of her mother's name, the most powerful earthbender and metalbender in the city, had kissed _him_. He couldn't make sense of it.

"Chief," he said, the title coming out hoarse.

One of the triad members, forgotten in his stone box, gave a frustrated yell.

Bei Fong's expression went blank. A second later she was out of reach, smoothing her hair where his fingers had ruffled the short strands. "We should get these criminals down to the precinct." She glanced sideways at him, saying nothing for a moment, though her gaze lingered until he grew warm beneath his collar. "And a waterbender should look at that burn."

At the reminder, the welt began to ache. Still he licked his lips and said again, fumbling for words, "Chief...."

"Please don't think this impacts your position at all, lieutenant," Bei Fong said as though he hadn't said anything. The words were matter-of-fact and as hard as stone. "This was my mistake. We'll pretend it never happened. Agreed?" 

Jia Wei opened his mouth. The ridiculous urge to say that if it was a mistake, it was only that he didn't think himself worthy of her attention rose to his lips, but he said nothing.

"Agreed?" Bei Fong repeated, but now her expression had changed.

Jia Wei knew that look; it was the one she wore during particularly tricky interrogations. The intensity of her gaze made him grow warm again. The air hadn't felt so stifling before. He cleared his throat. "If that's what you want, chief."

Unexpectedly the corner of her mouth creased again, fainter than before, but there. "What  _I_ want," she said, watching him carefully. "And what do  _you_  want, Jia Wei?" 

Jia Wei stared at her mouth.

It wasn't meant to be an answer, but Bei Fong seemed to take it as one, because she actually smiled, a small, satisfied look. Then she shook her head and said, "Go give everyone the all-clear. Let them know we'll need a wagon and special handcuffs for four earthbenders and a firebender."

"Yes, chief." Still half in a daze, he crouched and gathered up all the pieces of the handcuffs. Standing, he caught her amused expression. Heat crept into his face. "For evidence, chief. I'll go and, ah, give the all-clear." 

He walked past her towards the destroyed door. She didn't move, but still the hot embarrassed prickling remained, lingering under his skin. He could still feel the warmth of her hand against his chin, her other hand against his chest, her mouth against his. 

"Are you all right, Jia Wei?" someone asked.

He blinked. Somehow he was outside, his fellow metalbenders eyeing him with a mixture of concern and confusion. Jia Wei cleared his throat and forced the heat from his face. "All-clear. The chief has Gyeon, three other earthbenders, and a firebender tied up inside. We'll need a special wagon for them." 

"A  _firebender_?" Hahn said, groaning a little. "Since when does Gyeon have one of them on her payroll?" She sighed and shrugged one shoulder, as though to ask what anyone could expect of triads. "I'll go call it in. Want me to request a waterbender for your injuries?" 

Jia Wei almost touched the welt, remembering how Bei Fong had frowned at it. "The chief suggested that I see one." 

"Right." She clapped him on the shoulder, and smiled warmly when he blinked at her. "Don't feel bad, Jia Wei. We've all had the chief come rushing to our rescue at least once."

 _And does she kiss_ everyone _afterwards_? came the ridiculous thought, and Jia Wei choked on a laugh, certain it would come out too loud and strange. He forced a smile, aware that Hahn was trying to be kind. The smile was more of a grimace, judging by the way Hahn stared at him. "Thank you."

"Right," Hahn said slowly, and then turned. "Okay, I want half of you in with the chief, and the rest of you still monitoring the perimeter. Let's see if we can't catch more of Gyeon's triad today!"

Everyone followed Hahn's orders, leaving Jia Wei standing there, left to his own thoughts. His mind moved sluggishly, still bemused by the chief's actions. She'd _kissed_ him, he thought again, and didn't quite dare touch his mouth. He remembered her small, satisfied smile.

He shifted restlessly, a strange agitation twisting his stomach as he ignored the pained twinge in his knee and wondered what, exactly, that smile had meant. Then he forced such thoughts away. It wouldn't do him any good, daydreaming on the job. He'd already gotten himself injured and captured once tonight. It would be his luck to get caught by another of Gyeon's people while he thought about Bei Fong.

Besides, he'd suspected Gyeon of having ties with Zhang Wanzhang. Perhaps this would be the day Jia Wei could finally prove Wanzhang was working with the triads. He scowled at the thought of Wanzhang. "Once a criminal, always a criminal," he muttered, ignoring the eye-roll from Eum, who happened to be within earshot. He pretended not to notice Eum's weary expression. Yes, perhaps today Jia Wei would find the proof and peel away Wanzhang's businessman and philanthropist persona to reveal the criminal beneath. 

A wolfish smile touched his lips, and for a little while at least he wasn't troubled by the memory of Bei Fong's kiss.   


End file.
